


Phasing Away

by zebzy1



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-10-10 05:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10430319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zebzy1/pseuds/zebzy1
Summary: There were many things Mo Guan Shan expected at his new cramp, cheap and small apartment. Leaky ceiling, squeaky bed, loose floorboards and similar broken stuff. The one thing he didn’t expect was the black-haired asshole of a ghost that was haunting the place. (Ghost Roommate AU)





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So, this is a continuation to the one-shot I wrote during the TainShanweek for the AU day. I really liked the idea so here I am thinking about turning this into a multi-chapter fic! I hope whoever reads this that you like it! And, leave a comment if you want to tell me what you think.

To Mo Guan Shan the apartment he had found online had seemed to be a miracle sent by god at the beginning. He had been trying to find a cheap place to stay and had less than a week to find the apartment he wanted. 

So while surfing online for a place to stay, he had come to the apartment with a very low rent. From the barely visible and very blurry pictures he saw of it online, it had a decent looking bedroom and fully equipped kitchen. 

It wasn’t the best of places, but hey, beggars can’t be choosy. 

What really made Mo Guan Shan settled into buying it was the area it was set in. The apartment was situated right in between the two jobs that he worked at. If he was to stay in this dingy apartment, it would make it easier for him to travel between his two jobs. This would make it possible to earn more money by taking on extra hours at work which he needed. 

And, money was what he really needed. His mother, who he loved so much that he couldn’t express in words alone, was sick in the hospital. She was ill but stable. She had been in the hospital for a while now and the medical fees were starting to build up. Mo Guan Shan would work countless hours just to make sure that his mother was getting the health benefit she needed to get better. 

With these thoughts in his mind, he contacted the landlord and managed to get the apartment. However, since he had been busy with his mother, his jobs and trying to pack up his stuff to move out of his friend’s house which was where he had been staying temporarily, he had no time to actually check out the apartment physically. 

So, he hadn’t seen inside the apartment once. And, now here he was. Outside his apartment door with his beady looking landlord next to him who was messing with a bunch of keys on a chain.   
Finally, the landlord twisted one of the keys out of the chain and held it out in front of him to inspect if it was the right one. When he was satisfied that it was, the landlord pushed the key in its rightfully made hole and twisted it around once. 

There was a loud thud as the door unlocked itself. 

“Ready to see your new place?” the landlord asked, probably just for the sake of saying something so they weren’t surrounded by awkward silence. 

Mo Guan Shan shrugged as he lifted his bags off the floor. He didn’t bring that much, just the essentials to stay for one night. He would go back to his friend’s house throughout the next week ahead to bring all his stuff into the new place periodically. 

The landlord pushed the door open and Mo Guan Shan followed him inside. At least the pictures, he saw online wasn't fake. The bedroom did look a little smaller but at least he had a reasonable size bed that was shoved in the far corner of the room, under a window. Next to the bed, was a small coloured and opposite it was a middle-sized closet. 

The wallpaper was a light grey colour and the floor was made out of wood. 

The kitchen wasn’t too bad either. Again it was smaller than what it looked online, and everything was cramped together in a neat row of machines and cupboard. But the cooker and fridge looked like it was working and that was all 

Mo Guan Shan really needed. Same with the bathroom. As long as the toilet and shower worked, he was fine with it. 

“I collect rent the first day of every month. If you find anything broken or doesn’t work, you could come to me, although let's be real I probably won’t fix it. And, that’s about it for now. Here are the keys.” 

With that the landlord plopped the key into Mo Guan Shan’s outstretched hand turned around and left, slamming the door behind him. 

The apartment was eerily silent leaving Mo Guan Shan to all his thoughts. Sighing, he decided to quickly unpack his stuff. This was good. This apartment was giving him a chance to make more money. So what if he felt a little lonely? That was normal. It shouldn’t bother him if he was alone. 

But it did. A lot. 

By the time, Mo Guan Shan had finished unpacking everything he looked out of his bedroom window only to be met with a dark sky. Of course, it was this late since he had arrived here around the time the sun was setting.

Mo Guan Shan plopped down on his new bed wincing slightly when he heard the audible squeak of the springs as they took his weight for the first time. Figures. He closed his eyes and instantly felt his aching body relaxed. 

Things had been getting a lot complicated and worse. Working two jobs were taking its toll on his body and mental health. But, that wouldn’t stop him from giving up. His mother needed him. He wouldn’t let her down. Never. He would carry on like this for however long it took. He would suck up all the annoyance and irritation he felt and just carry on earning the money he needed. 

No matter how long it took. 

Deciding he might as well just go to sleep since he did have to wake up early for work tomorrow, Mo Guan Shan opened his eyes so he could start getting ready for bed. 

Except, the minute he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into dark black eyes that were looking at him with curiosity and slight mirth. 

Mo Guan Shan let out a little yell of utter shock as he sat up quickly and jumped back on his bed, hitting the window and part of the wall with a loud bang. He felt his heart almost lurch out of his chest and one of his hands automatically grabbed on to his shirt, exactly where his heart lay as if to make sure that it stayed in his chest. 

He could feel his heart rapid thuds as adrenaline coursed through his body. 

His eyes stared in surprise and disbelief as he couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. A boy. A tall boy with dark black-hair that matched his eyes colour and a handsome face and who seemed to be around the same age as him. 

But, this wasn’t what was making Mo Guan Shan think he needed to go to some sort of mental asylum. The boy was floating. Literally, floating. In mid fucking air. His whole body hovered in the air unnaturally. 

“W-What the...What the actual fuck?!” Mo Guan Shun screeched out finally being able to say something through his panic, still not being able to comprehend what he was seeing. 

“Is it too late for me to say boo?” the black haired boy said, a smirk dancing on his lips. 

The boy talking actually freaked out Mo Guan Shan even more. 

“W-What the hell are you? No, wait, what the dick hair is happening right now?” Mo Guan Shan yelled loudly. 

“Come on, your acting like you’ve never seen a ghost before.” The boy rolled his eyes as if to say that Mo Guan Shan should get with the program and not find this weird. 

Hearing the word ‘ghost’ was making this situation more surreal for Mo Guan Shan.

“You have got to be kidding me...You can’t be...Ghost don’t exist.” 

“Well, obviously you’re wrong otherwise I wouldn’t be here. Anyway, I should be the one shocked. After all, you are suddenly in my apartment.”

“Your apartment?” 

“Yeah, I live here. So this apartment is mine. The names He Tian by the way. And, you should be acting way nicer to me. Since you are in here uninvited by me.” 

“This isn’t your apartment. I paid for this fucking place. It should be me asking what the fuck you are doing here.” 

Wait, what the hell was Mo Guan Shan even doing talking back to the floating boy named He Tian who was calling himself a ghost? A ghost! Those things didn’t exist. But, how else was Mo Guan Shan going to explain the levitating guy in the room? 

“There is no way in hell this happening. This is me just hallucinating from being so tired. I’m going to close my eyes, lay down in bed, and...This isn’t happening!”   
As if to prove his point, Mo Guan Shan turned his back towards He Tian as he lay down in his bed and closed his eyes. 

This wasn’t real. He would wake up soon and the boy would be gone. 

“Hey, come on, you didn’t even tell me your name. I want to know. Hello...?” 

“Shut up. I’m trying to get some sleep. Go away. You’re not real.” 

“I am real.” 

“I told you to shut up! You’re not real.” 

“I am.” 

“Shut up!” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He Tian the ghost boy was, in fact, real. And, he made sure that Mo Guan Shan knew this very well. The black haired devil would play all sorts of tricks on him. He was acting more like a demon than a ghost. 

Apparently, even if he was a ghost he could still touch things.

Mo Guan Shan would wake up earlier then he should be due to cold water being splashed all over his body from out of nowhere and He Tian would just be levitating above his face, a snigger slipping from his mouth. There were numerous things that went missing, mostly Mo Guan Shan clothes, which left the redhead turning the room upside down just to try and find his things. 

How was He Tian even hiding his shit so well? The room was so fucking small and he should have been able to find his stuff easily. 

He Tian would pester him a lot, trying to goad Mo Guan Shan into a conversation. The redhead wouldn’t give into it and would pointedly ignore He Tian to prove that the boy didn’t exist and wasn’t a ghost.

That didn’t work well. He Tian wasn’t just a ghost. He was an asshole. He would somehow make sure that Mo Guan Shan would never get hot water in the shower or make all the electricity stop working the apartment. 

By the time a week had gone by, Mo Guan Shan felt more knackered and tired then he had been before he had been staying in the apartment and begging for the loneliness he once had. 

There were only a few moments where He Tian wasn’t in the room or anywhere to be found in the apartment. Mo Guan Shan didn’t know where the hell was and he wouldn’t lie to say that he wasn’t curious as to where the ghost went. 

A week to the day he had first moved in, it was late at night and he had just come home from work and was starving. There was no He Tian and the apartment was silent like the first day when he had entered it. 

Mo Guan Shan had decided to cook one of his favourite foods, beef stew. It was a recipe he held dear to his heart, the first recipe his mother ever taught him how to cook. It had been a while since he had made it. 

Time flew by as Mo Guan Shan prepared the meal. He had got lost in thought during the process thinking of his mother and then the ghost. He couldn’t deny it for much longer. Ghosts did exit. He Tian existed. 

“What are you cooking? It smells good.” 

Think of the devil and he should arrive.

Mo Guan Shan turned around slightly and spotted He Tian in a sitting position and he was hovering just a few inches away from the floor. Mo Guan Shan wasn’t going to reply but when he looked into He Tian’s eyes, he froze slightly. 

There was a soft, daze look in his eyes. It wasn’t one he had seen before on him. It looked like He Tian was...sad. Lonely. Awful. Depressed. It reminded Mo Guan Shan of the look he something had whenever he looked at himself in the mirror. 

“Beef Stew,” the words spewed out of Mo Guan Shan’s “You want some?”

He Tian’s mouth quirked up in a smile but the sadness still seemed present in his eyes “I can’t. I’m a ghost remember. I can’t eat.” 

Oh right. The room settled in silence. 

“Where were you? You weren’t here when I came back an hour or so ago?” 

He Tian shrugged his shoulders in response. 

“So...” Mo Guan Shan cleared his throat and a part of him wondered why he was still trying to make a conversation between the two of them “how did you die?” 

Mo Guan Shan cringed inwardly. What a way to start a conversation. He looked back at He Tian to say to forget what he had asked but was halted when he saw a smile playing on He Tian’s lips and the sad look in his eyes melting away. 

“I don’t know. I can’t remember. I actually can’t remember anything. I can only remember my name and that I am a ghost. I don’t remember anything else at all. About me life. Or who I was when I was alive.”

“Fuck that sucks.” Mo Guan Shan spoke, saying what was on his mind without meaning too. He was right, though. He couldn’t imagine not knowing who he was. How would it feel? It must be horrible. 

“It doesn’t bother me. Well, it used too but not anymore. It hasn’t bothered me at all since I met you.” He Tian said, that same smirk on his lips. 

Mo Guan Shan could feel his cheeks heat up at his words and the seemingly sincere gaze directed at him. 

Fuck, this asshole... Mo Guan Shan thought. 

He looked back down at beef stew that was on the cooker and noticed it was ready. He quickly off the heat and grabbed two bowls from one of the cupboards. It only took him a few moments to pour some of the stew in each bowl, place a spoon in each one, before picking them up and heading towards He Tian. 

He sat opposite the floating ghost and sat one of the bowls in front of the black-haired man. He Tian looked at the bowl with confusion before bringing his gaze up to Mo Guan Shan. 

“What’s this for? I told you I can’t ea-“ 

“Have you ever tried to eat anything?” Mo Guan Shan interrupted him. 

He Tian shook his head. 

“Then, you won’t know if you don’t try, idiot.” 

He Tian looked contemplatively at the stew before finally deciding to take the spoon in his hand. He picked it up, the spoon filled to the brim with the liquid, before bringing it to his mouth and shoving it in. 

Mo Guan Shan watched him carefully. There was no reaction from He Tian to say if he tasted anything or not. And, for some reason, Mo Guan Shan didn’t want to ask since he was afraid a little of the answer being a no.   
Instead, Mo Guan Shan started to eat his own food. They ate mostly in silence, glancing at each other when they thought the other wasn’t look at them until He Tian spoke up,

“So, I guessed we are officially roommates now, huh?” 

Mo Guan Shan choked on a piece of meat from the beef stew. 

“What in the chicken dick hair? No! We are not roommates!”

“But you made me food. And, we have been in this apartment for a week together for a week. I live here. You live here. So, we are obviously roommates, Mo Guan Shan.” 

“That doesn’t make- Wait, how do you know my name? I never told you.” 

“I looked at a label on one of your underwear and it had your name on it?” 

“You did fucking what?!” 

“Don’t act like that. You left it on top of your bed like you wanted me to check it out. So, I did. Love heart shaped boxers too. That’s really cute.” 

“You...You fucking asshole!” Mo Guan Shan could feel rage swirl inside of him and He Tian’s glaring smirk was making it even worse. 

“I have a feeling we are going to be really good roommates, Mo Guan Shan.” 

Mo Guan Shan disagreed in his mind. But a part of him was secretly looking forward for what the future would hold for them.


	2. Chapter Two

Living with a roommate was hard. Living with a roommate who just happened to be a floating ghost was even harder. And, if said ghost was a big asshole too was just an icing on the cake. 

Mo Guan Shan supposed it would take a while to get used to this. Ever since He Tian had self-proclaimed them as ‘roommates’ a week ago, there was rarely a time when Mo Guan Shan would enter the apartment without the black-haired teen floating in the air waiting for him with a big grin etched onto his face. 

Not only that, but He Tian had insisted that the redhead should make beef stew every night and wouldn’t stop pestering him until he did. Mo Guan Shan didn’t even know if He Tian even tasted anything when he ate the stew as he never commented once about how it tasted. 

No matter how tired Mo Guan Shan was getting, life would still go on. 

Mo Guan Shan rolled over in his bed, unwilling to leave the comfort and heat that surrounded him. The morning was just breaking out and even though his eyes were closed, he could tell how bright his room was getting as each second ticked by behind his eyelids. 

His alarm had gone off five minutes before hand and he knew that if he didn’t get up soon he would be late for work. 

But, goddamn, he was just so tired. He really was struggling a lot with keeping up with two jobs. Not only that, he hadn’t seen his mother for a while since he had no time to visit the hospital with his hands full. Hell, he hadn’t even managed to make any time to even give her a single phone call since he moved into his new haunted apartment. 

He felt like a real dick because of this. He needed to contact his mum soon. 

Sighing, Mo Guan Shan rolled over so he was on his back before opening his eyes. And, he didn’t even flinch when he was automatically staring into dark black eyes looking at him with overwhelming glee. 

If there was one thing Mo Guan Shan had become adjusted with regarding He Tian, was that every morning he would always wake up coming face to face with He Tian who would be floating above him, their faces mere inches apart. 

To be honest, it had definitely freaked out Mo Guan Shan the first few times but he was gradually getting used to it as it looked like He Tian wasn’t going to stop. 

“Good morning!” He Tian said cheerfully, eyes crinkling with mirth and mischief. 

Mo Guan Shan just glared annoyingly at the boy in return. Would the ghost ever stop messing with him? 

“You know you really shouldn’t frown so much.” He Tian said suddenly completely ignoring the death stares he was getting from Mo Guan Shan “Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen you smile once. That’s such a shame. You have   
such a nice face.” 

Mo Guan Shan could feel his cheeks heat up, ever so slightly, yet he gave his head a little shake as he was determined to hold on to his anger. He rolled slightly to the left and swung his legs outwards so they dropped from the bed and hit the floor with a dull thud. 

He Tian straightened his position in the air, so instead of floating horizontally he was now in a sitting pose; Mo Guan Shan back was towards him. 

“I need to get ready.” Mo Guan Shan told him as he stood off his bed. 

The wood beneath his feet was freezing cold like he was stepping on snow instead. It was winter after all, and the heating in his room barely worked. This was one of the main reasons why he had been so reluctant to separate himself from the warmth of his bed since it was rare to feel that any kind of warmth nowadays. 

A loud sigh erupted from behind him and Mo Guan Shan, twisted around to see He Tian with his arms across his chest, chin tucked into his chest, seeming to be sulking. 

“Are you going to work?” He Tian asked a small a frown on his face. 

Mo Guan Shan nodded his head. 

The frown only deepened at the redhead’s silent answer. 

“You shouldn’t go. Stay here.” He Tian said, simply. 

“Not an option,” Mo Guan Shan, replied swiftly not in the mood to contribute to any type of argument with the black-haired ghost “Unlike you, I need money to pay for the electricity, water, food and heating bills.” 

Also, he needed it for his mother. But, he wasn’t going to go open that can of worms. Not this early in the morning or with someone such as He Tian. 

“Damn it.” He Tian mumbled, “And, I was really hoping to spend some quality time with my roommate.”

Mo Guan Shan sighed loudly, feeling slightly like he dodged a bullet. There was only so much he could take of He Tian. While he couldn’t deny, some of their conversations were...pleasant, most of them usually caused a big headache to erupt for Mo Guan Shan. 

Though, it wouldn’t be bad to skip work and have one of those...pleasant...conversations with He Tian. Mo Guan Shan could almost imagine it. They usually sit across from each other, little space in between so it made things personal (involuntarily for Mo Guan Shan), and talk about everything and nothing at the same time.

Not talking about anything, or rather not focusing on all his stressing problems with his mother and her health gave Mo Guan Shan a sense of relief. For a moment in those conversations, he could pretend that everything was fine. 

And, Mo Guan Shan needed that. It gave him a sense of stability. 

“Hey!” He Tian shouted loudly causing Mo Guan Shan eyes to get caught into those dark eyes web “Where did you go just now?” 

The grin stretching across the ghost face was annoying. More so, when Mo Guan Shan felt his cheeks heating up again. 

It seemed lately most of his blood had been rushing towards his face. 

“Nothing,” Mo Guan Shan snapped “I’m going to take a shower or I’ll be late for work.” 

“Great suggestion! I’ll join you!” He Tian beamed already making his way towards the shower. 

“Fuck off! And, don’t you dare take one more step towards the bathroom!”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gruelling. Just as Mo Guan Shan had predicted as he walked up the flight of stairs towards his apartment, the muscles in his legs protesting to move even slightly further. 

Today had been harsh. His whole day had been spent locked in a humid, small kitchen where he cooked his ass off for customers that barely appreciated his food. 

Not that he expected a loud applause or standing ovation for his cooking there. The kitchen utensils barely worked and he was surprised that he could actually get stuff out for the customers.

His second job was much simpler as he was just a janitor at a local museum. While he didn’t have to handle any snobbish customers, this was always much more grunt work and left him feeling sore all over. 

He always arrived home during sunset, the sky coloured a variety of hues ranging from dark red to the lightest of purples. Mo Guan Shan had refused to take up any night shifts offered at either job, as he knew if he didn’t have a little rest he would break apart with stress alone. 

His tread towards his apartment was usually silent. He rarely ever saw his neighbours, only ever talked to one which he barely remembered how they looked like. 

However, today was different as when he just arrived onto his floor, he nearly bumped into the burly figure of his landlord. 

“Sorry,” Mo Guan Shan said as he managed to regain his balance and blinked heaving to clear the sleepy gaze in his eyes “Didn’t expect anyone here.”

“I can’t blame you. Most people here are shut-in’s anyway.”

Silence easily fell between the both of them. Mo Guan Shan could feel the word ‘awkward’ being shouted through his ear. He wasn’t trying to make eye contact with the landlord and the latter was avoiding his eyes as well. 

“I thought you don’t come here often. Only to collect rent.”

“I don’t,” the landlord started “but, one of the tenants wants to move out. I was checking his place to make sure everything was working and good before putting it up on the market.”

Mo Guan Shan nodded his head though he barely cared about his. He shuffled his feet slightly preparing to say a swift goodbye and returning to his room before an idea popped into his head. 

He bit his lip slightly, wondering if this was a good idea. It was about He Tian. He barely knew anything about the ghost and he remembered how he had said before that he didn’t remember anything about his previous life before he died. 

Since the boy seemed to be haunting the room, Mo Guan Shan guessed that he had to have some sort of connection to the apartment. And, the only one who could most likely give him information about the apartment would be the landlord himself. 

This perfect opportunity to learn more about He Tian was basically offering itself on a silver platter.

But, if he was going to talk about this, then he knew he should be careful on what he says otherwise he would be gaining a one-way ticket to the psychiatric part of the hospital. 

“There is actually something I wanted to ask about my apartment,” Mo Guan Shan started only to be swiftly interrupted by the landlord, 

“Look, if there’s something broken in your room I don’t have the time or money to fix it.” 

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Mo Guan Shan spoke up. 

There was a brief moment of silence and the landlord raised a hairy eyebrow up in question, 

“I was wondering...who lived in my apartment before me?” 

The landlord's face turned into slight surprise, beady eyes widening, 

“Why are you asking about something like that?” 

“I was just wondering if there happened to be someone specific who lived there before me. Like, maybe...a black-haired boy. Around my age?” Mo Guan Shan, figuring there was no point of beating around the bush and just decided   
on the forward approach. 

He was too tired to be cunning as it was. 

Although, his question only caused confusion to settle on his landlord’s face. 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” the landlord swore “The person who was in the apartment before you was an old lady. About 80 years old.” 

Oh...

Now, it was Mo Guan Shan’s turn to be confused. He was so sure that He Tian would have been the previous tenant. But, it didn’t seem like the case. It only caused the mysterious aura of who He Tian really was to intensify. 

“Well, did the old lady ever...complain about...odd stuff...happening in the apartment?” Mo Guan Shan asked, cringing both inwardly and outwardly at his sentence. 

He was starting to sound really creepy now with all the questioning. But, he had to know if maybe He Tian had haunted this old lady by any chance. Or at least made himself known to her. 

“What the- No! The last tenant didn’t complain about anything. She had a grand time in that small apartment before her family came to take her to a retirement home. Look, if the odd thing you’re talking about is something that is broken I told you-“ 

“No, it’s not.” Mo Guan Shan swiftly interrupted feeling extremely pissed off at the landlord and his need to hamper about his money problems “I just wanted to know if a black-haired boy, around my age, happened to live in the apartment that was all.” 

“Sorry,” the landlord said, his tone suggesting he was getting angry from all the questioning “For as long as I have been the landlord, which has been an odd 30 years or so, there has never been a black-haired boy, your age, that has lived in that apartment. Is that all you need?” 

Knowing he wasn’t going to get anything out of the, Mo Guan Shan said a swift goodbye holding his tongue to not spit out any swear words. 

As he passed the landlord and head towards his apartment, he couldn’t help but let out his a slightly helpless sigh. 

It was just his luck that his apartment ghost roommate that was haunting the place seemed to have no connection to the room at all. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mo Guan Shan twisted the key in his lock, hearing a satisfyingly loud clink in return. He felt a lot more battered and bruised after the conversation with the landlord and still not learning a single thing about He Tian. 

He needed a shower. A long one.

He slipped open his door and quickly slammed it behind him; the loud sound of the door firmly shutting surrounded him, as Mo Guan Shan took off his shoes and made his way to his bedroom. 

It was a big surprise when he stepped into his bedroom and saw no black-haired ghost in sight. Unknowingly, it caused the frown on Mo Guan Shan’s face to deepen as he chucked off his working bag and watched it land hazard on his bed. 

“He Tian?” Mo Guan Shan called out, wondering if the ghost boy was still somewhere in the apartment. 

The silence was the answer-back.

It caused a slight roll to happen in Mo Guan Shan stomach, similar to the feeling one would get if they were on a rollercoaster seconds away from plunging in a downward spiral. 

He was alone. The foreign feeling settled into Mo Guan Shan bones rather oddly. He guessed that he was so used by now of He Tian greeting him when he came back from work for the last week, that it was really strange for him not   
to do so. 

Realising where his thoughts were heading, Mo Guan Shan let out a little growl and shook his head as if he was trying to get rid of his thoughts like how a dog would shake water off his fur.

He had no reason to miss He Tian doing anything. None at all. 

Mo Guan Shan stuffed his hands in his pocket, feeling one of them collide with cool metal. He brought out his phone from his pocket, stared at the screen before an idea popped into his head. 

This was a perfect time. He needs to make this call, or he wasn’t going to feel any better for the next few days. 

He was tired. Hungry. Bruised and battered. But, none of this stopped him from dialling the number one number on his last. 

The dialling tone echoed throughout the red hairs ear and he felt butterflies dance through his stomach the longer the noise went on. 

Finally, the tone stopped and he heard shallow, soft breathing on the other end of the line. Mo Guan Shan felt his stomach dropped slightly and his mind whirl to try to find a word to say. 

“Hey, mum.” Mo Guan Shan, finally croaked out, feeling his throat constrict without his permission as his mouth dried up like the Sahara desert. 

“Hello, son,” a cheerful, gentle voice spoke that, light and airy despite the severe condition he knew she was in “how have you been?”

“I-I’m fine mum,” Mo Guan Shan paused slightly to let out a shaky breath, glad that his mum sounded fine at least “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I haven’t called you in the last three weeks or visited.” 

He heard his mum chuckle slightly from the other side of the phone and Mo Guan Shan in avertedly pressed the phone closer to his ear. 

“Don’t apologise for nothing. You just moved into a new apartment and you will be busy and have lots on your plate. It’s okay for you not to call me. How is the apartment, by the way, son?”

Mo Guan Shan could feel his mum’s warm smile through the phone even if he couldn’t see her. 

“It’s fine. It’s been a lot to handle,” a pause as a picture of He Tian sporting a teasing grin flitted through Mo Guan Shan’s mind “but I think I’m getting used to it.” 

“Oh, that’s good.” His mum replied, not minding her son’s lack of detail.

She never pried into Mo Guan Shan’s life. Not once. If something was ever bothering her son, he would tell her. She knew this. If something was important in his life, she would always be the first to know. 

Mo Guan Shan’s mum always stood on the side-lines, always the supportive figure no matter how far she was away from her son. 

Mo Guan Shan could tell his mother’s breathing was getting a little heavier through the line which worried him. They hadn’t even been talking for five minutes and his mum was already getting breathless. 

“Have you taken your medicine?” 

“I’m due to take it soon. I’m a bit frightened, though. You know I don’t like needles very much.” 

“You will be fine mum. You’re strong.” 

And, she was. Mo Guan Shan could not name a single person that was stronger or kinder than his mother. He didn’t think he ever could. 

“Thank you, son.” His mother replied. 

The answer was quickly followed by a wrenching cough that set the phone line ablaze with fear. It reminded Mo Guan Shan that his mother wasn’t getting better. She hadn’t been for a long time. 

“I-I should leave you alone, now.” Mo Guan Shan spoke tentatively. 

“Ah, yeah. I kept you too long on the phone anyways.” Mo Guan Shan mum replied, voice considerably weaker than when the phone call first started. 

“I promise I will come visit you soon.” 

“I know you will, son.” 

Mo Guan Shan kept the line on until he heard the beep that signalled his mother closing the phone. The redhead brought the phone down and stared at it in front of him. 

“Are you okay?” 

Mo Guan Shan snapped his head up, quickly and saw the floating He Tian in the air close to him. His eyebrows were drawn closely together, a very serious look on his face compared to the easy smiles He Tian always had. His mouth was drawn in a straight line. 

“I’m fine.” Mo Guan Shan lied. 

This only caused the seriousness in He Tian’s face to deepen and his mouth to settle in a firmer line. Mo Guan Shan knew that He Tian could spot his lie a mile away and it really didn’t bother him. 

Now, he made himself a lot more tired as well as upset. 

“Where have you been?” Mo Guan Shan asked wondering when He Tian had appeared. 

Considering the question, it must have been a while a back. It surprised Mo Guan Shan that he hadn’t noticed him. 

He Tian shrugged his shoulders as an answer. 

Mo Guan Shan had to roll his eyes to that. 

Silence soon crowded around the two roommates. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He Tian asked suddenly, hypnotic black eyes stealing Mo Guan Shan to himself. 

“Yeah.” Mo Guan Shan replied before his brain caught up with him. 

He didn’t even have enough energy to fight himself on the idea of talking about something so personal with the ghost. He wouldn’t actually mind having one of those ‘pleasant’ conversations with him right now. 

“Let’s make some beef stew together. Then, we can sit and talk about it.” He Tian said with a soft smile, opposite to most of the smiles that He Tian usually wore. 

Mo Guan Shan didn’t know exactly why, but the soft smile on He Tian’s face was making him feel like all the stress, tiredness and sadness just melt away into a puddle of a soft glow of something akin to happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is the second chapter to this story! It actually got a lot more sadder than I intended it to be. Hopefully, next chapter will be a bit more perkier. And, Mo Guan Shan and He Tian's relationship is already advancing!   
> Um, if you like this, please comment what you thought of this! Each and everyone is appreciated.   
> Next update will come in due time! Thanks for reading this!


	3. Chapter Three

Bang! 

Mo Guan Shan slammed the closet rather brutally, a more severe irate look on his face than usual. With the way his shitty week had been going, it was no wonder that he had run out of the ingredients to make his famous beef stew. He had no time to even think about going to the shops to stock up and now it was coming to bite him back in the ass. 

“What’s wrong?” He Tian asked as he drifted idly in the air behind Mo Guan Shan. 

“I don’t have the ingredients to make the stew. We’re just going to have to skip it for tonight.” Mo Guan Shan answered. 

He wasn’t going to lie. He did feel a little disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to have a pleasant conversation with He Tian, one he really needed. But, he was in no mood to go out this late to the shops. He was too tired...too upset...too much in pain. 

“So what? Just go buy them. The local shop isn’t far from here.” He Tian replied back, a frown etched deep into his face showcasing how he hated the idea of not having beef stew tonight. 

“Look, I’m really fucking tired. I’m not going to go outside this late. I also have an early morning to work tomorrow. I don’t have time-”

“I’ll come with you.” He Tian interrupted, as he leant forward causing the gaping hole between the two boys to close into mere inches between them.

Mo Guan Shan nearly jerked back at the sudden close proximity of the black-haired man. Nearly. This close, the redhead could make out each individual long eyelashes framing those dark black eyes. He knew He Tian was handsome, probably caused bunches of ladies to swoon at his facial features. 

This close to him, Mo Guan Shan could really bask in those pretty features. Dark black eyes almost seemed forbidden, framed with those sinful eyelashes and dashing smirk...

Wait...what the fucking hell was he thinking? 

Luckily He Tian’s words were enough distraction from the Mo Guan Shan’s spiralling thoughts. 

“Come with me? Can you even leave this apartment?” 

“Of course I can!” there was a small pause before the ghost continued “I...think?” 

Mo Guan Shan let out an annoyed growl. 

“You think?” 

“Well, I’ve never tried to before.” 

“So, you’ve always been in this apartment?” Mo Guan Shan asked the black-haired boy. 

He Tian nodded his head. 

He couldn’t imagine staying in this dingy place for so long, without ever leaving the room. How must it feel? Lonely, Mo Guan Shan supposed. Was He Tian lonely? He never mentioned it nor has he ever shown any sign that he was. So far, He Tian had always been grating and annoying with maybe a hint of pleasantly when they ate beef stew together. 

“Where do you go when you’re not here?” Mo Guan Shan asked, referring to all the times when he’s been in the apartment and He Tian wasn’t anywhere to be found. 

“I really don’t know. I never even realise I go missing until you mentioned that I do. All I remember...is this place. Never been out.” 

Was that a hint of irritation Mo Guan Shan detected in He Tian’s voice? Was he angry that he has never seen anything, or rather remember anything, apart from inside these four small walls? 

“I want to go. Get ready so we can leave.” 

Mo Guan Shan didn’t even try to reply. There was no point. Another quality he spotted in He Tian was that he was unnaturally stubborn. Once an idea was caught into his head, nothing could stop the ghost from completing it.  
The redhead quickly headed into his room, grabbing a jacket to stay at least a bit warm in this fringed cold weather and walked outside. 

He was met with a more than exacted He Tian, seemingly really excited to actually venture into the outside world. He was acting almost like a child on Christmas morning, ready to rip their presents apart. 

“Do you think you’ll even be able to leave?” 

He Tian shrugged his shoulders but the smile never left his face. At this point, it looked like He Tian was just wanted to try going outside regardless of the outcome. 

Mo Guan Shan quickly headed to the front door, grasped the doorknob, and with a swift turn popped it open. Cold air slapped against his face instantly and he let out an involuntary shiver. The coldness in winter was such a pain. 

He quickly stepped outside, clasping his already freezing hands together and rubbed them to get some warmth. As he did so, the redhead turned around to see He Tian about to cross the threshold. 

With no hesitation, He Tian quickly floated outside the apartment. Everything seemed fine. No earthquake. No explosion. No divine power stopping him from leaving. No hell suddenly opening up and swallowing them down for breaking some ancient rule. He Tian went past the door without a single ounce of objection.

“So, I can go outside the apartment. Damn, I should have tried this earlier. I could have haunted and scarred so many people by now.” 

Mo Guan Shan rolled his eyes as He Tian’s joking remark before quickly racing up and down his body, noticing the lack of clothing. He Tian was still wearing the same black shirt and trousers he had worn since the first day he had seen him. However, it was really little clothing for this weather. 

“Are you not cold?” Mo Guan Shan blurted out, his mind giving the words to his mouth without thinking them through. 

It was only after he said the words did he realise how stupid he was. And, he knew it even more when he spotted the devilish grin stretching across He Tian’s face. 

“I’m a ghost. I don’t feel hot or cold. Did you forget what I was?” 

Mo Guan Shan could feel his cheeks heat up instantly against the freezing air. He was an idiot! Why did he ask such a thing? It shouldn’t even matter to him if He Tian was cold or not. 

“No...I was just...” Mo Guan Shan sentence trailed off, not knowing how to finish itself. 

“You’re so cute when you’re oblivious.” He Tian said, leaning closely towards with a charismatic smile. 

“Shut the fuck up!” 

Mo Guan Shan was about to walk off until another idea popped into his head. 

“Wait...Do you think anybody would be able to see you?” 

“I don’t know,” He Tian replied honestly “although, if they do, we are going to face a few problems.” 

He was right. If someone noticed He Tian floating in the air, they would probably have a panic attack. But, they didn’t even know if other people could see He Tian. It was really trial and error right now. The only way to really get  
answers about stuff is to put them at risk. 

“If someone does see you, we fucking run. And, we run fast.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He Tian was invisible. Or, people were just not that phased out by a floating ghost boy as Mo Guan Shan thought they should be. Whatever the case, no one could see He Tian. No one noticed the floating boy who glided next to Mo Guan Shan casually as they walked to the store. 

Rather than feeling relieved, Mo Guan Shan felt even more irritated. Because this opened up a whole new can of questions. 

How could he see He Tian? Was he the only one that could? Does this even mean He Tian existed since only Mo Guan Shan could see him? Was He Tian some delusion caused from all the stress Mo Guan Shan was facing?  
Endless questions and no answers. It fucking sucked. 

The most shocking part of their walk to the shops was when someone walked in front of He Tian. Or rather, walked right through him. The person just phased right through He Tian body like he was a wisp of smoke. 

The person didn’t even react to it. Just walked on like he hadn’t just passed through a ghost. It was so insane Mo Guan Shan’s eyes nearly popped out of their socket. He Tian just had a smug look on his face and for the rest of the walk kept purposefully making sure to walk in people’s paths so they would unknowingly phase right through his body. 

By the time, they had reached the shop Mo Guan Shan nearly fell to the floor with happiness. His mind was really driving him insane. 

Although that feeling didn’t last long once he started to shop with He Tian. The black-haired ghost was like a little kid in a candy store when it came to shopping. Everything excited him and for some odd reason and he would point at the most random things with interest. 

“Hey, we should add this to the beef stew. It will taste nice.” He Tian said as he pointed to a jar that was filled with some brown goo. 

It looked horrendous and Mo Guan Shan didn’t even want to read the sign to see what it actually was. He had a feeling that would scare him even more. 

Mo Guan Shan pressed his phone into his ear a bit more tightly. Since he didn’t want people to think he was crazy when he talked to He Tian since it would look like he was talking to thin air, he used his phone as a tool to cancel that out. 

It looked like he was talking to some unknown person in his phone than a ghost that may or may not even exist at this point. 

“That isn’t in my recipe. I’m only getting the stuff I need. I’m on a very tight budget as it is. I can’t afford to just fling money around. Every little piece counts on my part.” Mo Guan Shan replied back, annoyed. 

“I get your money problem but you know you should listen to your roommate’s advice. They know what’s good for you.” 

“Like I said before, we’re not roommates.” 

When Mo Guan Shan didn’t hear the immediate response with the counterargument that they “were roommates”, he turned his head towards He Tian. The ghost had a thoughtful look painted on his face which quickly melted into a trickster grin. 

“Of course I don’t feel like we’re roommates right now. We’re more like an old married couple, shopping together for tonight’s dinner. Oh, I feel so loved!” 

“Fuck you!” 

Maybe Mo Guan Shan shouldn’t have shouted that out so loudly. An old woman who was quietly doing her shopping snapped her head quickly towards him and narrowed her eyes dangerously. She looked like one second away from body slamming him into a table for using such a crude words. 

Mo Guan Shan quickly bowed his head in a silent apology and passed the old women with his mouth turned down. He tried not to stare at He Tian direction as he flung his next words, 

“We are never going shopping together again.” 

“What are you talking about? We will be going shopping every day from now on together. It means I get to spend extra time with you now that I know I can go outside.” 

“There is no way in chicken dick hell-”

“We will be. This has been so much fun. I can’t wait for us to shop together again.” 

In one ear and out the other. Stubborn like a mule. He Tian had this idea that they would always go shopping together and it looked like he wasn’t going to be leaving it anytime soon. 

Why did this stuff happen to him? Mo Guan Shan thought as he grasped the bags from the checkout and headed towards the exit. 

All the ingredients brought he was more than ready to go home, eat till he was stuffed like a teddy bear and just knock out on his bed for the rest of the night. Only he was once again interrupted by this plan the minute he stepped out as a voice called out to him, 

“Hey, mister! Please buy this!” 

A young girl, probably in her early teens, threw both her hands out towards Mo Guan Shan face, nearly hitting him. Two Pigtails ran down her back and clasped tightly in her small hands was a brightly coloured piece of paper. 

Her light eyes shone brightly as she looked at Mo Guan Shan expectedly. 

“Don’t disappoint her. Pay the girl some money and take the paper.” He Tian teased, seeming to suppress a bark of laughter. 

“What is it?” Mo Guan Shan asked, ignoring He Tian completely. The girl didn’t react to He Tian either probably since she couldn’t see or hear him. 

Money was really tight for the redhead. He couldn’t afford to just spend it on something like this. 

“It’s just a leaflet about local businesses in the area. It’s not that expensive to buy one. Please, will you?” 

The pigtail girl’s eyes swelled into large puppy dog eyes. It looks like she knew how to use her cuteness as a deadly weapon. 

“Stop being so grumpy. Do you not know how to treat a lady?” He Tian whispered, moving down so he could say it into Mo Guan Shan’s ear. 

This may have been a wrong move. For some odd reason, Mo Guan Shan felt a freezing cold air blast against his sensitive ear much colder than the atmosphere around him which caused his whole body to zap in shock. He literally jumped back and away from He Tian, a hand going to clasp his chest. 

What the hell was that? 

“Um, mister...is everything okay?” the pigtailed girl asked, as she looked at him with confusion. 

She wasn’t the only one. He Tian looked equally confused as he looked from himself to Mo Guan Shan then back to himself.

“Yeah, everything is fine. Forgot about it,” a pause as the redhead quickly gathered himself “here I’ll buy the stupid-I mean the leaflet.” 

“You will?” the pigtail girl eyes shone like bright stars. 

Mo Guan Shan felt his wallet actually cry as he took out his precious money and gave it away. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The delicious aroma of finely cooked meat and heavily spiced soup wafted into Mo Guan Shan’s nose pleasantly. Maybe it was due to his stressed week or the recent heart-breaking phone call with his sick mother, but the redhead had  
never felt this hungry before. 

Both boys were sitting on the cold floor like they usually do, bowls full up in front of them so temptingly. 

“It looks especially good today! I bet it’s because I helped pick out the ingredients.” He Tian said, smugly as he scooped up some meat on a spoon. 

“It’s because I cooked it. I’d like to see you cook something like this.” Mo Guan Shan grumbled as he too took some meat and shoved it into his mouth. 

“I should. I’ve never tried to cook before. Maybe, I should. I bet I’ll be good at cooking.” He Tian claimed. 

Mo Guan Shan raised an eyebrow but never said anything. He Tian probably couldn’t be that bad of a cook. He should let the guy try sometime. 

“By the way, what happened when you were talking to the little girl? Why’d you jump away from me?” He Tian asked curiously. 

Mo Guan Shan stirred the spoon idly in the stew as he thought of a way to explain what happened into words, 

“I don’t know...it was like you shocked me. I think it was with your breath. It was freezing. Never felt anything like it. It was...weird.” 

“Good weird or bad weird?” 

“...Good.” Mo Guan Shan replied, feeling extremely uncomfortable as he answered that. 

The glazed look He Tian had as he stared down at his stew was adding on to the feeling. Mo Guan Shan couldn’t tell what He Tian was thinking and he didn’t like that. 

They fell into a silence shortly after. A comfortable one. Nothing needed to be said as they ate in silence the only sound was of their spoons hitting the bowl as they ate. 

Mo Guan Shan felt this was the most relaxed he had been all week. Maybe since he moved into this apartment. This was nice. Really, really nice. Just sitting with He Tian and eating was oddly comforting. 

“So...Can I ask you about your mother?” He Tian spoke up suddenly when both of them were nearly done with their food. 

Mo Guan Shan stilled for a second, not even breathing, as he processed the question. He could do this. He could talk about his mother. It hurt...but it was hurting it, even more, to keep it in, for having no outlet for this problem. 

“What do you want to know?” 

“Is she sick?” 

Mo Guan Shan nodded his head. 

“How long for?” 

“A few years. Maybe, a lot longer. I don’t know specifically. She was sick when I was a child but it wasn’t so bad. She could stay at home, do chores, go to work and spend time with me. But, three years back her illness hit hard and now...she can’t even leave the hospital bed.” 

Mo Guan Shan wouldn’t like to look back at that incident. It hurt a lot to even think about it, let alone relive it in his mind. The look of sheer pain on his mother's face, the feeling of helplessness on his own...never again. He would make sure his mother would get better. He would earn all the money he needed and help her get better. 

“Mum...she’s important. That’s all you need to know about her. I’ll do anything for her.” 

When Mo Guan Shan looked up he was slightly surprised to see the small smile gracing He Tian’s face. He looked...proud. At what, Mo Guan Shan had no idea. 

“Have you been by yourself ever since?”

Mo Guan Shan nodded his head. He’s been alone ever since. Speaking of alone, it reminded him of the conversation he and He Tian had earlier on, 

“What about you? You said that you’ve been in this apartment since you can remember. You were alone too...So, do you feel lonely?” 

Utter silence. He had never been in He Tian’s presence this long without the ghost saying something annoyingly witty. Mo Guan Shan tried to decipher what look He Tian had on his face but it was useless. He Tian was like a closed book, nothing to reveal and nothing to find. 

“Lonely, huh?” He Tian mumbled, speaking to himself “I...suppose I am...” 

It didn’t look like He Tian knew he had said that last part out loud. He was really in his thoughts. But, it confirmed the redhead’s suspicion. He Tian is lonely. It was weird to know this piece of information. It was hard to imagine someone like He Tian actually feeling loneliness. 

He guessed this pesky emotion could affect anyone. It was hitting him hard. And, so was it hitting He Tian as well. He supposed he had it a little less badly. He had his mother to combat loneliness for a while. He Tian had no one since he couldn’t remember anyone.

“Loneliness is fucking annoying,” Mo Guan Shan said out loud causing He Tian to snap out of revenue “I’m lonely too. Ever since my mother was put in the hospital. I haven’t had anyone.”

“We are both...lonely then. Maybe as roommates, we should both be lonely together,” He Tian laughed with no humour in the joke. Again it seemed like he was talking to himself, without knowing, than to Mo Guan Shan. 

Mo Guan Shan didn’t mind though. This was the first time he didn’t mind being called a roommate.

After the heavy conversation, Mo Guan Shan was left to clear the dishes. He Tian had disappeared somewhere yet again. The redhead was pissed that he was left doing all the chores but he let it slide this one time. 

Arming himself up with his favourite bright blue washing gloves, he was about to tackle the dirty plates when he spotted the leaflet he brought from the girl on the kitchen table. He had placed it there before starting to make the beef stew. Hell, he almost forgot about it. 

Curiously peaked his interest and he might as well flick through it since he brought the damned thing. He picked it up and quickly flicked through some of the pages. Like the pigtail girl said, it was about local businesses around the area. What time they open, the address, what they did, why it was a good idea to go there. 

Most of the promotional bullcrap bored Mo Guan Shan quickly and he was about to close the leaflet and chuck it in the bin when he stopped on a certain page. The title popped out to him as in big yellow bubble writing it read, 

“The best medium that will leave you spooked!” 

Before Mo Guan Shan can help it, he started reading more of the text which others would have found to be fake straight away. 

‘Having trouble letting go of a loved one? Want to have a conversation that will leave you breathless? Or do you just want to be awed into silence? Then, contact the best medium in the business. His real talent to talking to ghost will definitely leave you to stun you half to death. Any ghost, anywhere and anytime. He can content them, talk to them and even help them leave for the better plains!

Pricing varies as it is based on the ghost! So, if you are interested in this spectacular business then contact brilliant medium ‘Jian Yi’ today! You won’t regret it!’ 

Below were contact details, a silhouette of the man the redhead thought was Jian Yi was beside this text which was shrouded in darkness. The chances of this being real were slim but it if it was... 

Jian Yi...Mo Guan Shan thought. 

Maybe this could be useful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, this is the end of the chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I had fun writing it too. Sorry for the long wait as I was busy with assignments and exams. 
> 
> As for why Jian Yi is a medium/psychic is this story...Don’t ask (as I have no idea why I decided to do this) but strangely, I think the role will suit him perfectly. I like how Mo Guan Shan and He Tian relationship is progressing but I don’t know what you guys think. 
> 
> Updates will be coming more regularly so look forward to the next one. Till next time...See ya!


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